Students Rejoice: Applications for the National Pavilion UAE’s Venice Internship now open

The National Pavilion United Arab Emirates (UAE) – la Biennale di Venezia has opened applications for the 2018 edition of the Venice Internship. The annual internship program offers training opportunities to young UAE residents with an interest in arts and architecture. Selected interns will each spend one month in Venice staffing the UAE’s exhibition at the 16thInternational Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale), which will take place from May 26th to November 25th, 2018.

The interns will be given the opportunity to earn hands-on experience by overseeing the daily operations of the exhibition in Venice, as well as participating in an educational program run in partnership with Venice-based Ca’ Foscari University and other cultural institutions in the UAE and Venice.

The Venice Internship program is open to Emiratis and long-term residents of the UAE aged 21 and above, with an interest or background in arts and architecture. Applications are available on the National Pavilion UAE’s website. Applications close on December 3, 2017.

The National Pavilion UAE is commissioned by the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development.

Laila Binbrek, Co-ordinating Director, National Pavilion UAE, says:

“More than 150 interns have taken part in the Venice Internship over the years, and we are very proud to see how many of them have pursued successful careers in the UAE’s leading cultural institutions, including Louvre Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Art Foundation and Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council. Others have gone on to become working artists and architects themselves, including 2013 intern Sara Al Haddad, whose artworks are included in the UAE’s current Biennale exhibition, Rock, Paper, Scissors: Positions in Play. As the UAE continues to develop into a global center for arts and culture, demand is rising for skilled professionals in the sector. We remain committed to supporting the next generation of industry leaders by offering them professional exposure to this important international event.”

Artist Sara Al Haddad added:

“Being accepted as an intern with the National Pavilion UAE in 2013 was one of the defining moments in my journey towards a career as an artist, and I was thrilled to return this year as part of the exhibition. Participating in the Venice Internship gave me valuable exposure to the art industry beyond the UAE’s borders, and encouraged me to really explore my creative and professional skills. Because it offers training, teaching and mentoring, the internship is a wonderful platform for young adults who are passionate about the arts or architecture to see what careers in creative fields are really like. The program provides a unique and very special experience.”

The 2018 International Architecture Exhibition la Biennale di Venezia will be curated under the theme of “Freespace”, by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects. Their overall curation of the Biennale aims to reveal the capacity of architecture to connect with history, time, place, and people.

The current edition of the International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale runs until November 26, 2017. It is one of the world’s most prestigious arts events and attracts more than half a million visitors to each edition. The ongoing exhibition at the National Pavilion UAE, titled Rock, Paper, Scissors: Positions in Play, presents the work of five UAE-based artists: Nujoom Alghanem, Sara Al Haddad, Vikram Divecha, Lantian Xie and Dr. Mohamed Yousif. Curated by Hammad Nasar, the exhibition explores the theme of playfulness in artistic practice as a source of vitality and inspiration, and a mode of experimentation with movement, sociality, times and places.